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Tajikistan Dreams of Regional Electricity Grid Rebirth

Jun 27, 2017

The giant Nurek hydropower plant is Tajikistan’s main source of power, producing over 70% of the nation’s electricity. However, with electricity generation at the plant given to wild seasonal fluctuations, chronic power shortages force Tajikistan to lobby for reviving the Central Asian unified power grid. (Photo: Asian Development Bank)

Brutal winter weather in the late 2000s delivered a knockout blow to Central Asia’s unified power grid. Now, almost a decade later, tentative efforts are underway to promote a comeback of the network.

Tajikistan is the Central Asian state currently most interested in reviving the grid. Back in 2007, it was the worst prepared state in the region to handle the frigid winter. Unable to generate sufficient electricity for heating, lots of Tajiks were forced to shiver through the season in the dark.

Two years later, when another harsh winter hit, authorities in Dushanbe took action, recalled energy expert Kamoliddin Sirozhidinov. Without seeking permission, Tajikistan drew more than its allocated share from Central Asia’s then-unified power system — a decades-old electricity grid, legacy of Communist central planning, linking more than 80 power stations across the region’s former Soviet republics.

Tajikistan Dreams of Regional Electricity Grid Rebirth

The giant Nurek hydropower plant is Tajikistan’s main source of power, producing over 70% of the nation’s electricity. However, with electricity generation at the plant given to wild seasonal fluctuations, chronic power shortages force Tajikistan to lobby for reviving the Central Asian unified power grid. (Photo: Asian Development Bank)